Public Health

How the COVID-19 pandemic will change our cities

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has forever changed the world and life as we know it. Once the current pandemic is over, it will also change our approach to where we work, how we get there and more. 

Here’s what our cities will look like after the coronavirus pandemic

Editor’s note: This is the first of two posts exploring the long-term effects the COVID-19 crisis will have on the American city. Once we get through this, cities as we know them will be changed forever. 

During the pandemic, we can keep our distance while looking after one another

As a stay-at-home order takes effect for residents of Houston and Harris County, the importance of social solidarity and working together for the common good become even more crucial to protecting our most vulnerable neighbors.

Suspending evictions is the right move for Census 2020

Thursday, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Texas Supreme Court halted eviction proceedings until April 19. This is the right call. With an average of 600 evictions per week in Harris County, suspending evictions will prevent thousands of people from losing their homes over the next month.

Report: Texas moves to No. 39 on list of most aggressive states in combating COVID-19 (update)

The state, which ranks 31st in population density, has moved up to No. 38 in tested cases of COVID-19 per capita — it was previously last. It remains 48th in total public health emergency preparedness funding per capita.

To slow the coronavirus in Houston, we should ‘hunker down’ and hope for a controlled crash landing

An infectious disease expert from Rice University talks about the good, the bad and the future effects of our response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sharing the road isn’t radical thinking. Let’s slow down and consider the possibilities.

All day long, cars and trucks speed down Rushmore Boulevard, a high-traffic roadway that separates a pair of lifelong friends in the book “The Busiest Street in Town.” That is, until they decide to take matters into their own hands to slow the traffic and make the street safe for everyone. It may be a children’s book but the story doesn’t have to be a fairy tale.

A vacant lot in Third Ward is filled with life after chess-park transformation

The “Urban Edge explains …” series explores issues and concepts that are important to urban planning and policy experts. Today, we look at the power of tactical urbanism to demonstrate effective solutions to long-term goals using short-term, inexpensive examples.

In Acres Homes, a homegrown effort to make healthy foods accessible

The Acres Homes Health Action Team is contending with food insecurity, health disparities and climate change and more. It’s also excited and passionate about the Acres Homes community and making it stronger.

Houston joins global network of cities working to build resilience

One day before the release of the city’s Resilient Houston plan on Wednesday, a new network of resilient cities was publicly announced at the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi. Houston will be a member of the network.

Are Houston and other cities ‘trying to have their cake and eat it, too?’

As Houston strives to improve transit, shrink its carbon footprint and make streets safer for all modes of transportation, it may be struggling to rise above the status quo in some areas.

How Houston has changed — and stayed the same — in the past 10 years

It’s been a decade since the Kinder Institute for Urban Research was formed at Rice University. During that time, a lot has changed at the institute and in the Houston metropolitan area. In 2020, the Urban Edge will feature a number of stories related to the 10-year anniversary of the institute. To kick things off, let's compare the Houston area of 2010 with the city today.

Understanding Houston: Advocate for broader perspective on mental illness addresses stigmas

This is a part of a series connected to our partnership with the Greater Houston Community Foundation's regional project Understanding Houston. This story, and others, also appears on the Understanding Houston website.

Health care coverage may keep households from 'falling over the brink,' research finds

Researchers at Columbia University and Boston University found expanding Medicaid in America may help reduce eviction rates.

How many Houston-area residents could lose health insurance if the ACA is repealed?

A lot, according to new estimates.